Hopelessly Blue: I take the inspiration from my own dad to be honest. Don't tell him I said that. XD But really, he does have some issues with parenting. Makes you wonder whatever happened to his old personality, right? You'll find out eventually. And if your mom is like that, we have to share a mental high-five because mine is too! I added that part with Jasin because I figured you might appreciate it. Given Liara has someone to protect her, right? I wonder if Ayashe will have a chance with the adorable asari scientist. What do you think? ;P

A/N: Here's chapter two, my dear reader. ;)

"Your majesty…" it was the sadness in that voice that caused my dry, heavy eyes to open. I would have looked up if my neck were not so weak and cramped. There were two people in front of me.

One wore the clothing of my cell guard; dark pants of thinner material that billowed out slightly where it met his dark boots. His shirt was skintight and black as his armor overlay covered his chest. His shoulders were adorned with guards as well, bearing the insignia of the Guard. The other one, a woman, wore similar armor but if my view of her lower body was anything to go on she was part of Adel's command, and so had armor around her hips that held a ceremonial cloth of command. It hung down from the front of her belt and reached her ankles, holding the mark of a first Commander.

It must be casual Friday.

The guard, Isoph Mar'canan, stepped forward, drawing my attention away from my inner joke. It took only a moment before the Solinium structure I was in began to recede. As soon as the air met with my sensitive, damp skin, I closed my eyes once more. I didn't know why they were releasing me or how long I had been in there but it hurt just to feel the air. It almost burned from the coolness of the current surrounding the room we were in.

"Slowly, Isoph, she is weak." no kidding. I hadn't moved in at least three days.

As the Solinium continued in its slow journey of uncovering my appendages, the Commander stepped forward. My upper body soon slumped forward into her, bones cracking and groaning in protest at every movement of the weakened joints. I winced in pain but said nothing, my throat already out of practice from being silent. My arms soon followed and fell limply just as my thighs were being uncovered.

Eventually, I was fully released. The woman lowered me to the ground slowly but kept me sitting up against her raised leg to free up her hands. My eyes opened once more to look up at the two people over me and I saw their expressions of concern. I blinked several times to force the dryness away, unable to move my limp body. It hurt just being on the ground again. My body ached and felt every tiny movement with agitated nerves and swollen, weak muscles.

"Here, your majesty." I looked up at Valra Cozai, I realized, only to blink at a spoon in front of my face. The smell of thick stew met my nose then, and I squinted back up at them in confusion. There was no need to release me to feed me nor was there any reason Adel's first Commander needed to visit.
"I will explain but first you must take food and drink." She muttered. I looked back at the spoon and opened my mouth. Since I was still unable to move Valra had to feed me like I was an infant. It was a humbling experience, and one I wished I wasn't currently going through.

"What-…" my voice cracked. "What are you doing here?" I managed, my voice raspy and breathy.

"Releasing you from this injustice, my princess." Valra replied, making me take another bite. Isoph frowned at himself it seemed, and sat on my other side. He was the one with the water, and I was thankful to the gods for it.

"You defy my father by doing this." I whispered, too weak to fight her off as she pulled me up.

My arms were over both her and Isoph's shoulders and they left the food and drink there to free their hands and keep me steady. My legs were useless obviously, so they'd have to practically drag me out of there. Not that it seemed they were having second thoughts.

"We would defy our honor by not." Isoph replied.

"Hello?" I called, looking around myself. Nothing. Black clouds churned around me and the thick, cold air stirred around my body as if I were sinking underwater. My lungs were constrained, struggling to take in a proper breath of air and my heart beat in my chest rhythmically. Its thudding sound was all I could hear, echoing around me in the dark plane I found myself in.

"Darkness is all you know…" the words simply faded into my mind. They lacked a voice or any specific gender. There was a presence of something ancient and dark and cold but nothing told me what it was.

"What are you? Where am I?" I couldn't speak myself, but I heard myself ask all the same. Was this telepathy?

"I am Darkness eternal." It responded. "You are the prison to chain me."

"What…?" I was confused. Surely this thing, whatever it was, wasn't the Gavaek'Jaggx?

Something brushed against me then, the stirring of the thick water-like air shifting. A feeling made itself known the back of my mind then, something sharp. It was like cold amusement if anything were to label the strange feeling.

"Yes, mortal thing." The words would've smiled maliciously if they could. "I am that which destroyed your people once, and took your kin. I am what haunts you in every shadow and terrifies you with every nightmare."

The current shifted once more, squeezing me tightly. I found it harder to breathe and I could no longer move even my head as something moved before me. The dark clouds dissipated only slightly to show a pure black form floating in front of me. There was nothing to identify it, not even the garnet red eyes I knew its incarnate would have. There was nothing but true darkness before me, and it began to spread around me, draining life from my body.

"I am what saved your life. I am nothing and everything to you yet you believe I am only a plague to control." Something like anger flooded me from the foreign yet familiar sentience, hurting my joints and heating my blood. If I could've screamed I would have.
"There is nothing in you to control, for I have long since flooded your being and snuffed out the light of your soul. Do not believe your mortal abilities could ever stretch far enough to skim the surface of true darkness. All you will succeed in doing is condemning all you hold dear."

"Why do you care?" my mind growled in pain, stiff from the pain and burning cold.

"There is no 'care'. There is no 'love'. I am Darkness made real and I now reside within you." my mind began to burn from the cold penetrating it, and I tried to gasp to keep breathing. My lungs felt like they were being squeezed by glacial air, closing my throat and suffocating me.
"With no light to shine in you there is nothing to change." It continued, pushing harder, growing around me and burning every nerve ending I had. It was so cold it burned and stung and took away my thought process.

"I am you!"

My eyes snapped open in unison to my body jolting, desperately sucking in air. Just as suddenly, I coughed harshly, feeling as if my throat were just strangled. I took several slow breaths to try and calm down, ignoring my shaking, sweating body.

It was the fourth time I had 'talked' to it.

Every time it drained me and made me feel like I was slowly dying from the inside, even after I woke up.

I blinked several times and squinted from behind my bangs to see my quarters on the Slayer's Fate. It had only been eight days since Shepard's death and my 'meeting' the Illusive Man. My gaze slid to the display on my desk showing the time to be three in the morning. Another day of less than four hours of sleep, then.

"I see you are awake." A voice muttered, making me jolt in fear. A moment later, I squinted up at my familiar companion, Vetrali, and relaxed. She smiled down at me as she brushed my bangs from my face, as gentle as always. Ever since she'd been created to act as my caretaker and companion she'd always been there at the most convenient of times.

"You didn't have to check on me." I muttered although I was inwardly grateful I wasn't alone. Ever since I was torn from Shepard and thrown back to my father I found myself nursing a phobia of being alone. It was possible I wouldn't ever get over it with these nightmares and everything else pressing me. Naturally, only Vetrali knew. I didn't want anyone else to know how weak I had become.

"I was alerted to your elevated breathing an irregular heartbeat." That was always her excuse. For more than a week now I would wake up and she'd be there because she knew I was afraid of being on my own. Even if she was an AI she was a better person than many I knew.

"… Thank you." I whispered, allowing my eyes to fall to the bed. Even my sheets were dark.

"Get some more rest, Raega." She said softly, still stroking my hair, knowing it calmed me. "I will watch over you." she promised, taking the liberty to sit on my bed.

My hands moved to rest on her lap and around her waist, still fearful she would disappear. It may have been childish but everything I felt I was or had been was slowly breaking over the sight of Shepard dying in front of me and the darkness I felt growing inside of me, seeing her body every waking moment. I had almost nothing to keep me afloat in the ocean of tears and pain I found myself in save for my beloved caretaker and dear cousin. I felt like a broken shell being tossed around mercilessly by fate. I was pathetic.

But eventually, my eyes slid closed to Vetrali's gentle gaze.

A/N: Again, these are just small snippets my friends. If you want more I will comply, and yes, I DO take requests. That goes for all of my stories, in fact. See you next chapter!